Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Genetics, Neural Networks, and Other Factors

This is a book about attention. It is more specifically a book about the various associated disorders that can occur when the complex neural network system that underpins attention does not work as it should. It speaks to the fact that there are many ways that the attentional system can be disordered. This is in some way at odds with current clinical practice. When we as clinicians speak about attention, we likely first consider the categorical diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). From a clinical perspective, ADHD is the iconic condition that most laypeople and clinicians alike think of when considering disordered attention. This chapter discusses the neural network properties of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and discusses how the behavioral definition of the disorder does not map onto the known networks subserving attention.